The President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, believes that Russia's facilitation of asylum seekers arriving at the Finnish border is an operation not only against Finland but "part of a broader context."
As reported by Yle, he made this statement in a television broadcast.
The President considers that the pressure using migrants is directed not only against Finland, recalling that Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland previously faced similar hybrid operations.
"Russia's actions against Finland are not something separate from the overall context. Russia is waging a propaganda war, and its goal is to discredit the West," stated Niinistö.
In his opinion, the effect of this may be contrary to what Moscow hopes for.
"The use of migration as a pressure tool arouses emotions not only in Finland but also at the European level. And this may turn out to be an additional incentive to continue supporting Ukraine," the President believes.
It's worth noting that from November 30, Finland's border with Russia is completely closed for at least two weeks, allowing only the movement of freight trains. The country took this step after a mass arrival of asylum seekers, citizens of third countries, from Russia during November at the border checkpoints. Earlier, Russian border guards did not allow the exit of travelers without the necessary documents for entry into Finland.
